Reviews

Halo: Combat Evolved

This new version of Halo adds a number of small features that PC gamers in particular will probably enjoy. The first is the ability to archive an endless amount of saves -- the Xbox only allowed you to have one save game at a time, and if you wanted more, you had to get creative with your memory cards. Now, if there's a section in a mission you'd like to repeat -- and there are sections worth repeating in Halo -- you can save the game at the nearest checkpoint and jump back to it at any time.

Halo also tops the Xbox in one technical category: load times. While initial loads took about 30-45 seconds to load on the Xbox, they're practically non-existent in the PC version and this goes for multiplayer as well. I mean, I can go from writing this review to full-on-fighting in about 20 seconds, almost unheard for any recent first person shooter, any platform. It's a small thing, but cool nonetheless.

Multiplayer Madness

Having the Banshee in multiplayer makes for some exciting aerial fights.

While the single-player campaign has essentially been ported to the PC down to the last detail, Gearbox has also created a good deal of new multiplayer content, fully playable over the Internet. As mentioned before, you'll need a beefy PC to get the most out of it, but if you've got the juice, there's so much here that you could arguably justify buying Halo for the multiplayer alone.

To start, all of the multiplayer modes from Halo -- now dubbed "Classic" -- are present, and can be booted up exactly as they were on the Xbox, weapons placement and all. There were over 20 in all, from straight-ahead deathmatch to Capture the Flag to King of the Hill. All of the original maps from Halo have returned as well, along with six original levels from Gearbox. Vehicles weren't supported in many of the original Xbox levels, but they're the centerpiece of the new ones -- in fact, the Banshee is now available in multiplayer on both new and old levels. This results in some amazing carnage, with players dogfighting in the air, tanks and jeeps firing from below and snipers a constant threat in the shadows.

The new levels are pretty varied, and (in my opinion) superior to most of the original levels. "Gephyrophobia" is a mostly-outdoor map set across a bridge that can feature all manner of vehicles duking it out from all angles. "Timberland" is a forest-based map also loaded up with vehicles and offers plenty of sniping options. Some of the new maps are heavily based off existing single-player levels ("Death Island" is a remix of "The Silent Cartographer"), but they're all well done and flexible enough to handle a variety of game modes. Overall, I expect I'll be spending most of my time on the new levels, with the exception of "Blood Gulch," a classic Halo level which is an absolute blast with addition of the Banshee and the new Rocket Warthog (which should be self-explanatory).

You've got the flag. GO!

In addition to the Classic modes, Gearbox has retooled many of the games for the PC version and added vehicles, in what are called "Standard" modes. There are also a few modes such as Assault, best described as CTF meets NFL football: teams take turns trying to carry a flag to the other team's base until they reach a preset capture limit. Two new guns have also been added for Halo's multiplayer -- a flamethrower and the fuel rod gun (which some of the Covenant enemies used in the single-player game). Neither is an overwhelming addition, but the new weapons are nice all the same. If none of the numerous modes included with Halo are to your liking, it's pretty easy to custom-create your own remixed versions where you can choose different vehicles per side and other basic options.

The biggest concern we had with the multiplayer was how it would play over the Internet, since the Xbox version didn't support online play and Gearbox basically had to write new networking code from scratch. After spending several hours online (we set up prearranged test matches with the guys from Bungie, Microsoft and Gearbox, and spent more time testing internally), the networking seems pretty stable, even with 16 players running around massive levels. As stated earlier, the real test here is if your machine has the horsepower to play, as we only experienced tiny pockets of lag -- hopefully this will continue to be the case as players flood the 'net.

The only real bummer with Halo's multiplayer is that there isn't any co-op play, which was extremely popular as a splitscreen option on the Xbox. According to Gearbox, writing new networking code to get co-op going over a LAN or Internet would have been a massive undertaking, one that was decided to be left out for Halo's initial release. It's something Gearbox has stated they really want to do, but there's no telling if and when it might happen, or how well it might turn out. I'd love to see co-op play myself, but as it stands, there's such a wealth of multiplayer options available here that it's hard to complain.

The Final Word

"Blood Gulch" returns, now with the new Rocket Warthog.

I was maybe the only reviewer who wasn't totally smitten with Halo when it came out on the Xbox, and I'm sure there are people who would argue it was because I've spent too much time playing PC shooters, and have come to expect things like lightning-fast controls and Internet play. Whatever the reason, I've simply enjoyed Halo on the PC far more than I did on the Xbox -- when everything's clicking, it's the closest I've seen a shooter come to providing perfect combat -- and that's not something I say lightly.

It's a shame that a lot of gamers may need to upgrade to enjoy it properly, but with the single-player campaign, new PC features and endless multiplayer options, Halo more than holds its own compared to newer entries like Jedi Academy and TRON 2.0. It may be the best shooter I've played so far this year, and if you've got the video card to back it up, it's a game that belongs in any PC gamer's collection.